About that new cube on Astor Place (and the return of Mud Coffee)

You may have noticed the arrival of a new cube-like kiosk on Astor Place yesterday.

There were all sorts of theories about it (CorTen Steel LinkNYC kiosk, "Game of Thrones" Winds of Winter bus shelter, Amanda Burden-Christ map room, etc).

Anyway, here's the official release about what's happening here via the EVG inbox...

Coming soon, Astor Plate! A new food and beverage kiosk created by Perry Mallas serving healthy Mediterranean comfort food, coffee and beverages, all organic and locally sourced wherever possible. Astor Plate is also bringing MUD Coffee back to Astor Place.

Although the MUD Truck is now retired, MUD is delighted to once again be part of Astor Place ...

To design and create the kiosk Perry has collaborated with the same creative team at Patrick Nash Design that designed and built Flatiron Green and Benvenuto Café. Visually, the kiosk references the neighborhood’s artistic character and reflects the design profile of Tony Rosenthal’s iconic Alamo culpture, which turns 50 this year. The raw steel finishes and bold geometric forms of Astor Plate will create a natural and inviting ambiance, appropriate for this quintessentially urban environment.

Astor Plate is expected to open in March.

Up in vapor: Beyond Vape has left St. Mark's Place

Two weeks ago we repotted that Beyond Vape, the upper-level shop at 19-23 St. Mark's Place, was closing at the end of the month.

Well the vapors have already cleaned out of the space that they started leasing in 2013. At that time, this was the first East Coast location of the California-based chain. Today, there are seven NYC locations of Beyond Vape. Potential costumers here are being directed to the Union Square store.

Meanwhile, next door, the for lease signs have been removed from the windows of Grand Sichuan, which closed back in the fall. Perhaps the two spaces will be combined for a really big _______.

Office space on St. Mark's Place back on the market and still ghost free

Back in July 2014, a unique "for lease" sign arrived for the basement office space at 92 St. Mark's Place just east of First Avenue.

Among other amenities, the sign boasted that the office had "Real see-thru windows" ... "Real walls!" ... and! "No ghosts!"

Well, the sign has returned...



And there still aren't any ghosts...



As I recall, this space was off the market for a long while after the fire on the first floor in August 2014.

H/T @aureliovoltaire

Thursday's parting shot

A view from the East Village perch of Bobby Williams... looking to the southwest toward the Jenga-like, 57-story residential building currently under construction at 56 Leonard St.

An Obama tribute on Bond

You may have noticed the tribute to former President Obama this past week on a gate outside 42 Bond St. between the Bowery and Lafayette.

This installation is the creation of Scott VanderVoort, who previously created a tribute to Steve Jobs and David Bowie on the same fence.



As with Jobs and Bowie, you get a young and older version depending on the direction you're headed...





You'll get a much better idea of all this via VanderVoor's Instagram account...

#fenceinstallation #barackobama #barackobamatribute #tribute #nyc #bondst #art #streetart #mypresident #speakout #next100days btw Lafayette & Bowery

A video posted by Scott VanderVoort (@scottvandervoort) on Jan 20, 2017 at 5:34am PST

Checking in on 'Urbanmythology' on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

Despite the crummy weather, the Spanish street-art duo PichiAvo (above) started work on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall at the beginning of the week, as expected.

The official release about the new work — the first in NYC for the two — said it would be complete by Feb. 4... here's how it's looking this afternoon (the tape is part on the never-ever-ending East Houston reconstruction project)...



The mural, titled "Urbanmythology," will be up through May.

RIP Chester

We just heard that Chester, the longtime grill man at the Stage on Second Avenue, died yesterday.

Roman Diakun, who owned the Stage for 35 years up until its closure in March 2015, shared the news.

We don't know too much about Chester's family or background. A few health-related issues caused him to retire several years ago.

We'll update when we hear any further information.

This from the Stage Facebook page:

It is with a heavy heart that we deliver the sad news that Chester Kawalec (our grillman) has passed away yesterday. The viewing will be at Arthur's Funeral Home on Friday Jan.27th, 2017 between 6 and 9pm, located at 207 Nassau Avenue in Brooklyn. R.I.P.

H/T Sheila Rothenberg

Last look at the old Lanza's

As we noted yesterday afternoon, workers were clearing out the remains of the former Lanza's space on First Avenue between 10th Street and 11th Street.

A few things were placed out on the sidewalk for free, such as some work pants...



EVG reader Lola Sáenz got a look inside the now (almost completely) empty Lanza's, which had been serving Italian cuisine here since 1904...





To date, there haven't been any permits filed with the DOB to renovate this space for incoming tenant Joe & Pat's, the pizzeria that has been serving up slices on Victory Boulevard in Staten Island since 1960.

Casey Pappalardo, one of the pizzeria's owners, told the Staten Island Advance that the family had been looking to open a location in Manhattan for a long time. "We were looking in the city for a while and then our neighbor actually approached us because he owns the building," he said.

And an opening date?

"We should open within six months," Casey prognosticates, adding with a chuckle, "That's if all goes well — there's always some setbacks."

Lanza's closed for good back in July after the state seized the restaurant.

CB3's SLA docket for February includes applicant for the former Belgian Room on St. Mark's

Community Board 3 released its slate of meetings for February. (Find the calendar here.)

The SLA committee docket has a manageable number of applicants ... and not too many north of Houston. One item of interest: There is an applicant for the long-vacant bar space at 121 St. Mark's Place ... last home to the Belgian Room, which the state seized for nonpayment of taxes in April 2015.

The calendar simply shows an LLC going by Mr. White applying for a beer-wine license for the location. CB3 hasn't uploaded the questionnaires just yet. We'll pass along more info about this venture when it becomes available.

It's not clear whether Mr. White will also take the former Ton-Up Cafe space next door. Workers removed the wall between the businesses in 2015. (Probably yes.)

The February SLA committee meeting is Feb. 6 at 6:30 p.m. Location: The Thelma Burdick Community Room, 10 Stanton St. at the Bowery.

Desolate Belgian Room photo from 2015

Sushi and pizza coming soon to the Bowery

There has been some activity in recent weeks/months in the south storefront at 342 Bowery between Great Jones and Bond.

Eater did a little sleuthing and learned that the space will apparently be called Poke Run, a restaurant operated by former Olympic athlete-turned-chef Michael Stember, who has been hosting secret sushi dinners — known as Sushi Belly Tower — in recent years. (BoweryBoogie notes that Stember is serving sushi in a new venture with Happy Ending on Broome Street.)

No. 342 was last home, in 2015, to a Subway (sandwich shop). The Subway opened here in late 2009, taking over the space after Downtown Music Gallery moved to Monroe Street.

Meanwhile! Activity continues a few doors to the south at No. 334...



DOB permits show that a pizzeria is taking the space. No other info is available at the moment. Updated: Apparently pizza-master Gino Sorbillo — the best in Naples? — will be opening shop in this space. Read more about him here.

PYT — "Home of America's Craaaziest Burgers" — imploded here after just three months in business about this time last year.

Perhaps the new operator can reverse the curse here. It was home to Forcella Bowery for nearly three years until November 2014 … only to be replaced in December 2014 by the tapas-friendly Espoleta, which closed six months later to make way for Gia Trattoria. They quickly closed. Then PYT arrived in October 2015.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A step back in time on the Bowery

Wednesday's parting shot

One of the Cooper's Hawks that have been hanging around Tompkins Square Park of late... don't think that Christo and Dora, the red-tailed hawks, are big fans... photo by Steven.

Free stuff at the former Lanza's on 1st Avenue

Workers are cleaning out the former Lanza's space now... and placing unwanted objects out of the sidewalk for the taking. It appears the contents of the restaurant's lost and found are among the freebies. (There was an auction here on Jan. 5.)

As previously reported, Joe & Pat's, the family-owned Staten Island pizzeria, is opening a second outpost here between 10th Street and 11th Street.

The state seized Lanza's last July for nonpayment of taxes. The restaurant first opened in 1904.

Photo by Lola Sáenz

There goes 'Othello'

[Photo by Derek Berg]

The 8-week run of "Othello" starring David Oyelowo and local favorite Daniel Craig ended last week at the New York Theatre Workshop on Fourth Street.

The signage came down today... as the company prepares for its next production — "The Object Lesson."

Tickets were hard to come by for this well-regarded version of "Othello." I was curious to see it. (But not this curious.)

Rejected headlines:
There (Ia)goes Othello

MTA announces public workshops to discuss the upcoming (2019!) L train shutdown

[EVG file photo]

As you may have heard, the MTA announced last July that L-train service between Bedford Avenue and Eighth Avenue will shut down for 18 months starting in January 2019.

So with two years and 1,276 blog posts on the topic left before the full closure of the Canarsie tunnel's tubes (band name alert), the MTA and DOT have announced a series of jointly held interactive public workshops.

Per the MTA news advisory:

During the workshops, MTA and NYCDOT will provide information on the Canarsie Tunnel repairs and to solicit community feedback on possible alternate travel options during the planned 18-month closure.

Representatives from MTA and NYCDOT are also using the sessions to gain input for traffic modeling and analysis currently being conducted as service plans to minimize impacts are developed. Representatives will also be available to discuss construction impacts, ADA issues, and bus and subway service as it relates to the closure.

The public is strongly encouraged to participate in these workshops, which are expected to solicit meaningful input on alternate travel options for customers who will be affected by the repairs.

And!

Community workshops have been designed to help the MTA and NYCDOT develop service alternatives and mitigation proposals tailored to the affected neighborhoods. Each workshop will be structured to allow public participation on a rolling basis as people arrive in order to solicit ideas from the greatest number of people.

The workshops are intended to help MTA and NYCDOT better understand preferred alternate travel options for impacted customers. They will also solicit community input on alternate solutions such as increased bicycle use, shuttle buses and ferries, and to generate other suggestions. The MTA and NYCDOT is also working with community boards, elected officials and the public to develop alternate service plans, which will be in place at least one year ahead of the 2019 closure.

The first workshop is on Feb. 9 from 7-9 p.m. at the Town and Village Synagogue, 334 E. 14th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Meanwhile, the shutdown is already off to a rocky start. DNAinfo reports that that the project cost "has ballooned to $16 million more than earlier estimates as the transit agency [ran] three months behind its planned timeline to pick a contractor for the job."

Previously on EV Grieve:
About '14th Street Peopleway'

Will a car-free 14th Street make life more bearable during (and after) the L train renovations? (35 comments)

Malcriada, a Latin gastropub, opens on Super Bowl Sunday

Signs are up at 185 Avenue C near 12th Street for a new restaurant called Malcriada.



Per its Facebook page, Malcriada is a "Latino Gastropub that will make your taste buds go wild." Their menu posted online shows a variety of quesadillas, tacos, burritos, etc. (Find the menu here.)

The website notes that Malcriada will have its soft opening on Super Bowl Sunday — Feb. 5.

The previous venture here, Kaz, closed after nearly seven months back in December. Before that, Cafecito operated for 14 years. The Cuban-specialty restaurant closed at the end of January 2016.

114 E. 7th St. sells for $13.8 million

There's a new landlord at 114 E. Seventh St., which has changed hands for $13.8 million. The transaction hit public records on Jan. 10.

The Real Deal reported that the Luthien Group bought the 28-unit rental building between Avenue A and First Avenue from Domek Associates. Per TRD, "half of the units at the five-story building are rent-regulated."

The Luthien Group recently sold 629 East Fifth St. for $16.2 million, as we noted last week. That building between Avenue B and Avenue C features 24 market-rate units.

Image via Google Street View

I love you to gigabits: Pop the question, see your names on a LinkNYC kiosk

There's something new for romantics at LinkNYC kiosks, often a symbol of free love in the city.

As this photo via EVG reader Daniel shows, the kiosks have a notice asking passersby if they are planning to pop the question. (Presumably in the form of a marriage proposal.)

If you do ask your partner for his/her hand in marriage between now and early February, your proposal will appear on LinkNYC kiosks. (So keep it clean!) Reach out to hello@link.nyc for more info.

On the LinkNYC topic, the city reported last week that more than 1.04 million users have logged into the kiosks citywide.

The kiosks, which provide free domestic calls, Wi-Fi service, USB charging ports, among other services — "have seen an average of 40,000 new sign-ups and 4 million Wi-Fi sessions per week, according to the city," as DNAinfo reported.

In the past year, more than 53o kiosks have been installed. The city plans to install 7,500 kiosks in total. The first one arrived late in December 2015 outside the Starbucks on Third Avenue and East 15th Street.

At Ray's 84th birthday celebration at Ray's Candy Store last night

[Photo last night by Peter Brownscombe]

Ray Alvarez, the proprietor of Ray's Candy Store at 113 Avenue A, turns 84 this month.

And once again several of Ray's friends/regulars celebrated his birthday inside the shop between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.

In a break from the more burlesque tradition, there was a Persian-themed event last night paying tribute to Ray's Middle-Eastern roots ... the evening included a reading from the "Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyám," a variety of Middle-Eastern food and a belly dancer named Amanda.

EVG correspondent Stacie Joy shared a few photos...



















This is the 10th anniversary for a birthday extravaganza at Ray's. Check out Bob Arihood's photos from Ray's 74th birthday bash here.

Updated 11:30 a.m.

Here's a shot via EVG regular jdx ...

Construction watch: 127 Avenue D

The first sign of the new building coming to 127 Avenue D is now visible above the plywood here near Ninth Street.

As previously reported, plans call for a 7-story mixed-use building via developer H Holding Group. The approved permits show 13 dwelling units with a commercial space on the ground floor.


[A look through the blogger portal]

Here's the plywood rendering...



And the color version via the H Holding Group website...


[RIP Wacky Wok]

The previous building here was a one-level structure that housed Sergio Deli Superette.

Previously on EV Grieve:
On Avenue D, Sergio Deli Superette will yield to a 7-story building

A winterized Bowery Market, now down to 3 vendors

[Photos from Saturday]

The Bowery Market opened to great fanfare this past July ... the open-air food market at 348 Bowery and Great Jones was billed as a year-round destination. This past Friday, workers finally winterized the space that features several quick-serve kiosks with several stools at each food stand...



The Market opened with five vendors — Alidoro, Champion Coffee, The Butcher's Daughter, Pulqueria and Sushi on Jones... and at the moment, they are down to three.

A note on the The Butcher's Daughter website says they are closed for the winter. They shut down last fall with "closed for renovations" notices. This coincided with a visit by the DOH, who ordered the restaurant closed for several "critical violations," including "Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred."



Meanwhile, Champion Coffee has not been open in recent weeks... paper covers the windows...



The space looks to have been cleared out... and the Bowery Market is no longer listed as a location on the Champion Coffee website...



Meanwhile, for the remaining vendors, the listed hours are daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sushi on Jones received a positive review from the Times back in the fall. And we've heard from several people who say they like the sandwiches at Alidoro.

The address had been without a full-time tenant since Downtown Auto & Tire left in April 2012.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Please meet the next corner of the Bowery primed for something luxurious

Downtown Auto & Tire has left the Bowery

Rumors: 348 Bowery will house new food market

Monday's parting shot

Avenue B between Seventh Street and Eighth Street late this afternoon by Bobby Williams...

Noted

After this weekend, the Van Gogh mural on St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue now has a runny nose.

The São Paulo-based artist Sipros created this here last May.